Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a device for preparing cotton candies.
Description of the Related Art
In these days, devices have been provided by which a child, together with his or her parent, can prepare cotton candies using granulated sugar or sugar candy as a material in their house. Then, various proposals in relation to these cotton candy preparing devices (for example, Japanese Unexamined Patent Application No. 2002-187 and Japanese Unexamined Patent Application No. 2003-333994) have also been made.
A conventional cotton candy preparing device includes a main body portion that makes up a base, a rotary mechanism portion and a pan portion that receives cotton-like sugar candies. Then, a heater is provided in the rotary mechanism portion to heat and melt a material such as sugar or sugar candy loaded in an interior of a rotary pot, and the rotary pot is rotated at high speeds to discharge the material so melted in the form of fine threads of sugar or candy from minute holes or gaps formed on the circumference of the rotary pot.
Then, in cotton candy preparing devices, there is a cotton candy preparing device in which when a power supply switch is operated, a heater starts heating and a motor starts rotating a rotary pot, and the power supply switch is designed so as not to be switched on unintentionally and abruptly (for example, refer to Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2002-187).
The power supply switch described in Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2002-187 is designed so as to be switched on by rotating an operating portion while depressing the operating portion. Owing to this, the power supply switch can be switched on only when two operations of the depressing operation and the rotating operation are performed simultaneously. Thus, the power supply switch cannot be switched on without operating it intentionally.
Consequently, the power supply switch can be prevented from being switched on erroneously. Thus, the heater and the motor can be started to operate when starting the preparation of cotton candy after all the preparation work has been set.
In preparing cotton candy, in order to collect sugar candy that is discharged in the form of threads from the rotary pot into something like cotton, normally, a pan portion is provided which surrounds the rotary pot.
Then, the pan portion is designed so as to be removed from a main body portion when stowing or cleaning the cotton candy preparing device. Thus, in many cases, the pan portion is mounted on the main body portion when using the cotton candy preparing device.
In the cotton candy preparing device in which the pan portion can be removed, when preparing cotton candy, there is a case where a parent uses the cotton candy preparing device with the pan portion left removed therefrom. However, when a child or a person who is not familiar with the device prepares cotton candy, in the event that the child or the person uses the device with the pan portion left removed, there may be a case where the cotton candy preparing device or the surroundings thereof get dirty.
To deal with this, it is desired that the cotton candy preparing device cannot be activated to operate with the pan portion left removed.
As has been described above, in order to prevent the cotton candy preparing device from being activated to operate with the pan portion left removed, this can be achieved by providing a sensor that detects the mounting of the pan portion. However, when using an active sensor such as a proximity sensor, electric power keeps consumed even when the cotton candy preparing device is switched off by switching off the power supply switch, resulting in the wastage of electric power.
Additionally, it is considered that a mechanically operated switch is provided as a detection switch in place of the active sensor, so that the cotton candy preparing device is prevented from being activated to operate unless the detection switch that is connected in series with the power supply switch is switched on although the power supply switch is switched on.
In case the function to prevent the operation of the cotton candy preparing device in the way described above even when the power supply switch is switched on is incorporated in the device, it is possible to prevent the heating by the heater and the rotation of the rotary pot even when the power supply switch is switched on.
However, the person who operates the cotton candy preparing device believes that the cotton candy preparing device is activated to operate by switching on the power supply switch. It is difficult to realize that the heater is not heated from the external appearance of the cotton candy preparing device, and hence, it takes some time until the user is aware of the fact that the cotton candy preparing device is not activated.
In addition, when the user is aware that something abnormal is occurring since the heater is not heated and the rotary port does not start rotating, the user may doubt if something fails within the cotton candy preparing device, and hence, it takes some time until the user gets aware that the pan portion is not mounted.